


The Morning After

by Guardian Of The Lotus (DistantStorm)



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Kinderguardians, disgustingly adorable couples, hangovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-30 09:09:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20094811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DistantStorm/pseuds/Guardian%20Of%20The%20Lotus
Summary: A Kinderguardian wakes up on a couch, in a nice apartment in the Last Safe City, with no idea how she got there, and the Vanguard Commander makes her some coffee. He’s wearing regular clothes. Lilith is intrigued, hungover, and also regrets everything.





	The Morning After

_Roughly two weeks after the events of Phoenix Protocol:_

**-/**

The lights in the flat are dimmed when he enters. Only a single candle is lit in the living room. On their loveseat - he doesn’t even blink at the thought of it being theirs, though this is technically still his residence and she does keep her own apartment - his beloved is curled up, focused. Her tablet casts ambient blue light across her features. He can tell she’s reading for pleasure based on how relaxed she is, Tamashii nestled into the collar of her robe, optic dimmed and resting. It isn’t that late though, so he's a bit surprised she has the lights off.

“Long day?” He asks, and stills when Miyu immediately puts her finger to her lips to shush him. She smiles when he heeds her request, staying silent. Tamashii shimmers away as she rises. She crosses the room as quietly as he’s ever seen, and she pulls him by the forearm into the kitchen.

Her lips press against his in greeting, and she turns on the single light over the sink instead of the main ones. “We have a guest this evening,” She murmurs gently. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“A guest?”

Miyu jerks her thumb toward the living room. “Lilith’s on the couch." From this angle, he can see the lump of small Warlock, the strip of light created from the one she's turned on illuminating her blanket-covered legs. "That fireteam she teamed up with on Titan invited her out. She’s never been drinking before.”

His eyes light up with something soft, almost amused, and his voice drops to a whisper. “Hopefully she didn’t give you too much trouble.”

“I don’t think she’ll do it again,” She murmurs. “Got a little philosophical with me on whether or not an Exo is technically a human being and cried herself to sleep.”

Zavala’s mouth twitches into a frown. “You should-”

“Yeah. I’ll talk with her about it when she’s sobered up a bit.”

He nods. “Cayde had his moments. The adjustment was… well, I think most Exos struggle with it.” He looks at the girl on their couch and back to Miyu. “If I can help, let me know.”

She squeezes their combined hands. “I appreciate it. She’s a good kid. Wish she’d have asked me to take her out though.”

“You can barely control your own drinking, if I remember correctly-” She flushes in the dim light and pouts.

“You came to get me one time,” She hisses.

“Shaxx seemed to think it happened more than that.” The smile that blooms on his face is more teasing than judgmental.

"It only happens when I'm with him. You can't tell me he's never subjected you to peer pressure!"

He chuckles low, pursing his lips and holding a finger to them, reminding her to be quiet. She blushes harder. He kisses her again, slow and sweet. "Shall we take this to the bedroom as to refrain from disturbing our guest?" 

Miyu hums something in the affirmative and lets him lead her with a hand on the small of her back. For the first time, when she closes the bedroom door behind them, she locks it with a quiet snick. Nizana will alert Tamashii if their guest needs anything.

-/

Her optics take longer than normal to boot up, to fully orient. She smells coffee before anything and blinks herself into focus silently. There's a blanket over her. It smells like sandalwood and jasmine, floral and fresh. She needs to stretch. She's sleeping on a couch, and though it's comfy, she feels like she's been dragged behind someone's Sparrow through the EDZ.

Nizana churrs quietly in her head._ Washroom is to your left, the second door down the hall. Freshen up, you'll feel better._

She listens to her Ghost, feeling like she's still lacking a touch of her normal equilibrium. She wretches into the toilet for several moments, and if she had the ability to do so, she's certain she'd be blushing or crying out of embarrassment. She doesn't even know where she is.

_You really did a number on yourself, Lilith,_ Nizana chastises through their link, but waits to do so until she's almost finished. Lilith splashes cool water on her face.

_I remember being at the bar,_ Lilith thinks back to her Ghost._ Morgana and Bertie and I were having a good time._

_Yes, but you tried to show off and outdrink them._

_Did I win?_

Nizana shimmers into the space between her and the mirror, then scans her with a blue beam. Lilith recoils.

"'S too bright," She slurs, her own voice feeding the hollow pounding of her rapidly worsening headache.

"Do you think you won?" Nizana replies at normal volume. "You're going to be mostly functional today, but I wouldn't suggest fieldwork. You will likely feel dizzy and uncomfortable, at least until this afternoon."

Lilith sighs. 

Nizana relents, "You did win, but you were very intoxicated afterwards. My scans showed your alcohol levels to be nearly three times the limit to be considered safe to operate a Sparrow. You conducted yourself rather… outlandishly as well."

"Oh no."

"Oh yes," Her partner chirps right back. 

The Exo puts a hand on her forehead, looking at herself in the mirror. Even the ambient lights of her mouth made little fireworks go off in her head when she appraises herself. She didn't know she could feel like this. "I think I need to sit down."

"That sounds like a smart idea."

When she returns, there's a mug of coffee sitting on a black coaster waiting for her. On further inspection, the coaster itself looks handmade, with durable yarn. She takes note of a loveseat adjacent to her, a comfortable looking recliner, and a modest sized screen across the room. The blinds are drawn, so she can't tell exactly where in the City she is. That bothers her a bit, but not enough to subject herself to seeing what's beyond the window. The natural light will likely hurt her head, as well.

The sound of soft, measured footfalls makes her still. She doesn't know anyone who sounds like that.

_Did I… go home with a stranger?_

Nizana doesn't answer her. 

Lilith sighs and draws the blankets around herself. She feels cold. Hopefully she didn't. She doesn't think she'd be that unintelligent, even if everything after that super cute fruity drink was a blur. Maybe this is Bertie or Morgana’s home, although everything seems rather well lived-in and high end, considering the comfort of the furniture.

"Quietly," Comes a low voice from the kitchen. "Surely-" Their words get lower, and Lilith's sharp hearing cannot pick up what they're saying.

A very tentative, muffled trill is the reply. It still hurts her to hear. Then, she notes that a small, white shelled Ghost flits into the doorway. When Lilith makes eye contact, it shimmers away.

The footsteps grow louder, but not unbearably so. 

"Good morning," Commander Zavala greets politely, and Lilith gapes at him, jaw hanging. She's glad she's leaning over the coffee table with both hands around the mug. If it was in transit to her mouth she's sure she would have fumbled it.

"Uh…" Nizana provides zero assistance. Lilith supposes she deserves this. Weakly, when the Commander drops into the recliner near her and her brain errors on the innately casual nature of his movements, of the fact that he's wearing a simple tunic and pants, not full armor, she hangs her head and mutters, "Sorry for the trouble, Sir."

He shakes his head. "I believe I've conducted myself similarly plenty of times. We've all been there," He offers sagely. When she looks at him, surprised she's not being lectured, he gives her something almost like a smile. With his mouth. She doesn't - she must still be asleep, she thinks.

"Not to sound rude, Commander-"

The Awoken sips at his coffee. "Zavala is fine. We are not at the Tower, you are not on assignment, and it is well before working hours."

"Did you bring me home," She blurts, and she's certain some part of her face is surely overheating. Perhaps the ground will swallow her up.

He leans back, coffee in hand. "No, I did not. Miyu retrieved you. She's currently asleep in our bedroom, I suspect she'll be up shortly."

"What." The word is thrown out like a thunderclap. "She - you…" She sags dramatically against the couch.

"For all your projecting, I suspected you knew."

Lilith blinks at his eyes, then focuses on his forehead because his irises are so bright. "I mean, I do," She sighs. Her outburst doesn't help her head stop hurting. She flails dramatically despite it. "But she's never come out and told me!"

Owlishly, Zavala blinks back at her. He has more coffee and thinks before responding. "Miyu trusts you," He finally says. "Therefore I do, as well. I would hope your exercise discretion."

There is silence between them until the sound of quiet footfalls comes from the far end of the flat. Adelaide pops back into existence with a quick spark and zooms through the air. Lilith watches as deft hands reach out and bring her close, initiating a strange version of a cuddle.

"Good morning, Addy," Miyu whispers, Tamashii hovering over her shoulder. 

_It's a party in here,_ Lilith thinks to Nizana.

Nizana sighs._ I think it's nice,_ she answers in her distant, cool tone, and Lilith holds out her palm immediately, summoning her into the physical realm. Though seemingly childish and self-centered herself, Lilith is not dumb. She knows that answer means Nizana is lonely or jealous, maybe both.

With her Ghost in front of her, Lilith strokes her fins gently and cups her between her palms. Adelaide, upon seeing the newcomer, immediately introduces herself, Tamashii floating over as well. 

“Sleep well?” Miyu inquires of their guest.

She looks down. “I feel like I’ve been put through a blender.”

“Death by turbine is rather annoying,” Zavala quips and Miyu swats playfully at his shoulder before perching on the arm of his chair. “What,” He asks incredulously. “I was simply empathizing with her pain.”

“Mhmm,” She hums, yawning with a cute little yowl. He blinks up at her in a secretive kind of smile and she returns it, nose scrunching as she looks down at his face.

“Oh, you two are gross,” Lilith crows, looking at her own reflection in the blackness of her coffee. “I’m going back to pretending I don’t know about this before you make me sick.” 

"You being sick is on you, Lillie," Miyu informs her, in a volume just above a whisper. "Neither of us drank themselves silly last night."


End file.
